1965-11-13 Carlos Ortiz w pts 15 Ismael Laguna, Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico - WORLD. Referee: Rocky Marciano. Scorecards: 148-143, 145-143, 145-138. Following their last fight when the champion appeared lethargic, this time round he never gave Laguna (133) a chance to settle by constantly taking the fight to him and staying one step ahead. Getting off to a great start, Ortiz (135) took the opening three sessions before Laguna did well with the jab in the fifth to get back into the fight, but by the eighth the former had taken over. After left hooks and right crosses had almost finished Laguna off in the 12th and 13th rounds, Ortiz cruised through to the final bell confident that he had done enough. At the end of March 1966, the WBC threatened to strip Ortiz if he didn’t sign to meet their number-one contender, Jose Napoles, but that was the last heard of the threat, probably because Napoles had already decided to move up to welter. Within a week or so of that statement, it was reported that Ortiz had signed for a defence against Johnny Bizzaro in June and would like to give Flash Elorde another opportunity before the year was out.